The Tenants' Rights Clinic is designed to allow law students to represent low-income tenants in litigation and administrative hearings. Cases primarily involve evictions from public and subsidized housing, terminations of Section 8, and denial of affordable housing applications.
Note: This clinic was not offered for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Students
Each student is assigned several cases during the semester and may:
Represent tenants to help them avoid homelessness and preserve their housing
Represent clients at mediation, administrative hearings or court
Interview clients, investigate cases, and research legal issues
Negotiate with opposing parties, draft pleadings and discovery
Represent resident councils and groups of residents who want to improve their living conditions
While most cases involve some appearance in court or in an administrative forum, the number of appearances is dependent on the cases assigned. Some cases may go to trial and most settle. There are also some opportunities for appellate advocacy.
Watch a recorded info session on the clinic from February 15, 2022:
Clinic Requirements
Class Time Commitment & Requirement
The Tenants’ Rights Clinic is a graded, 6 credit hour, one semester clinic, offered in the Spring semester. This clinic entails a very substantial time commitment in addition to the time spent preparing for and attending class meetings. The Clinic has a classroom component on Wednesdays from 3-5 p.m. at Legal Services of Greater Miami (LSGMI).
Students are also required to hold office hours at LSGMI for 12 hours each week. Because students will be representing clients, hearings may be scheduled in court on short notice and outside the scheduled clinic hours.
Listen to students talk about the great feeling they got “helping [clients] hold on to the one thing they have...their home" and how this clinic has been "one of the best experience I've had in law school because everything was hands on.”
Contact Us
Jeffrey M. Hearne, Esq. 4343 West Flagler Street, Suite 100 Miami, FL 33134 Phone: 305-438-2403 Email: jhearne@legalservicesmiami.org Web: www.lsgmi.org
